Novelty headwear



May 25, 1965 w. R. PENNINGTON 3,184,757

NOVELTY HEADWEAR Filed June 18. 1962 I 1 48a INVENTOR. b 2 46a WILL/AMR. PENN/NGTON I: a I

United States Patent 3,184,757 NOVELTY HEADWEAR William R. Pennington,Baton Rouge, La. (10104 Goodyear Drive, Dallas, Tex.) Filed June 18,1962, Ser. No. 203,038 4 Claims. (Cl. 2--199) This invention relates toimprovements in novelty headwear, and more particularly to a visor-typeheadpiece also incorporating an interrupted or partial crown sectionwhich combines with the visor section proper in forming an article ofheadwear which broadly simulates and/or represents the head of a bird,such as an owl, eagle and the like.

To assist in an understanding of the present invention, it is explainedthat numerous institutions of learning, fraternal organizations,athletic teams, etc. have adopted birds as their mascots or have come tobe known in the press and by the public by the names of birds. As

examples, the horned owl is the mascot of the Rice University athleticteams, the eagle has been adopted as the name and insignia of afraternal organization, and numerous professional athletic teams arealso known as the Eagles and similarly as the Cardinals.

While in its broader aspects the invention contemplates novelty headwearconfigured to simulate the head of a particular bird for use generallyat childrens parties, masquerades and other gatherings at which suchheadwear might :be appropriate, it is a particular object of the presentinvention to provide an article of inexpensive headwear which simulatesthe head of a bird, for sale or distribution to members or followersgenerally of institutions and organizations which have adopted a bird astheir mascot or name, and similarly to the followers of athletic teamsknown by the names of birds such as the Philadelphia Eagles, the St.Louis Cardinals, etc., for wear at their various gatherings and games.

A more particular object of the invention is the pro,-

vision of an article of headwear, which can be worn as a sun visor oreye shade, and which additionally simulates the frontal head portion andbeak of a bird.

Further practical objects of the invention are the provision of anarticle of head-wear characterized as in the foregoing whose design andconstruction are such as to enable the same to be made up and sold inflat sheet form from inexpensive material such as cardboard, wherebymaterial, shipping and handling costs are mininal; the provision of anarticle of headwear as aforesaid which may be readily assembled as andwhen desired; and the provision of a sun visor type of headwear whichincorporates a partial crown section constructed and ar ranged so as toconvert the visor section proper into a novelty headpiece for wear attimes and occasions when a novelty hat or headdress simulating a bird orhead thereof would be appropriate.

The above and other objects and advantages of novelty headwear havingparticular bird simulating and/ or representing properties according tothe present invention will appear from the following detaileddescription and accompanying illustrative drawing, wherein-- FIGS. 1Aand 1B together illustrate a flat sheet containing the two color-printedand partially blanked out parts or sections making up a visor-typenovelty headpiece according to the invention;

FIG. '2 is a perspective view illustrating said two sections assembledto one another and the resulting headpiece being worn; and

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal-vertical section taken through the frontportions of the visor and partial crown sections,

which illustrates the manner in which said sections interlock with oneanother at said front portions.

Referring to the drawing in detail, such illustrates that an article ofheadwear of the invention is prepared by blanking same out from arectangular sheet of suitable stiff or semi-rigid material, such ascardboard, and that said article comprises two main parts or sections,namely, a visor section 12 and an interrupted crown section 30configured and color-printed to simulate the frontal head portion andbeak of a bird, illustratively a horned owl, but which could just aswell be an eagle, a cardinal or bluejay or like well known bird.

As best seen in FIG. 1B, the visor section 12 comprises a peak portion14 and spaced arms 16a, 16b integral therewith and extending rearwardlytherefrom and which are adapted when secured at their free ends to forma head-encircling band for holding the peak portion to the head of thewearer. Securernent of the arm ends may be effected in numerous ways,but as shown the securing means comprises a hook 16h on the end of arm16a which, when threaded-through an eye 16e formed in the end of theother arm 16b and engaged in a selected one of a plurality of upwardlyopening slits 16s provided in the top edge of said other arm relativelyforwardly of said eye, secures said arm ends together in a. desiredposition of adjustment suitable to the head size of the wearer.

As above forecast, the aforesaid crown section 30 is configured andcolored to provide the main bird-simulating features to the visorsection. To this end, it is formed in two integral and identical halfparts extending symmetrically to the sides of a central lineconstituting a line of fold designed 32. Said half parts togetherprovide the frontal head portion 34 including the eyes 36a, 36b of thebird being represented and they also provide the side head portions 38a,38b, which latter incline rearwardly-sidewardly from the frontalportion. In the case of the bird intended to be represented being ahorned owl, the head feathers 49a, 40!) giving the horned owl its nameare also included, such extending as the legs of a V from the aforesaidfrontal portion 34. Finally, the two half-parts of the crown sectionprovide at their forward ends the beak &2 (FIG. 2) of the bird beingrepresented, the beak taking its shape when the half-parts making up thecrown section are folded towards one another along the central fold line32. Preferably, the beak 42 has length such that its forward end (whichis shown to be rearwardly hooked) extends downwardly over the front edgeof the visor section 12.

The crown section 30 is secured in fixed relation to the visor section12 by rear-end locking tabs 44a, 44b formed on the relatively outer andrearward ends of the aforesaid side head portions 38a, 33b and which areadapted to be projected through slits 18a, 18b provided in the side armportions 16a, 16b of the visor section, and also by intermediate lockingtabs 46a, 46b which are adapted to be projected through slits 20a, 201)provided in the peak portion 14 of the visor section.v

According to a further feature of the invention, the beak 42 is securedat a point located a short distance rearwardly from its overhanging endto the forward edge of the visor section, thus to stabilize the entirebeak structure. More particularly, such beak-end securement is effectedby providing in the forward edge of the visor section 12 a forwardlyopening notch 22 having modified U-configuration defined by bottom andside walls and whose sidewall edges preferably converge as they approachthe mouth end thereof, and by further providing the lower edges of thebeak-defining portions of the crown section with rearwardly pointingspurs 43a, 48b which are so located along said edges that when the beakportion 42 is assembled to the visor section said spurs will hook overthe bottom edge of said notch recess 22 and lock thereto. At this point,it is explained that the aforesaid slits 20a, 20b which receive theintermediate locking tabs manner.

3% 46a, 46b are spaced apart an amount such as to spread the bottomedges of the beak half-portions a substantial distance as comparedto-the top edges of said beak halfportions which are connected by theircommon lineof fold 32. On the other hand, the width of the visor-edgenotch 22 is substantially less than the spacing between said slits 20a,20b and accordingly the lower edge of the 1 beak-forming portions aredrawn together as they pass through said notch. The net result of thisarrangement is that the forward end portions of the beak formation exertsubstantial sidewise pressure against the side walls of the notch 22 andthereby frictionally secure said forward end portions of the beak to thevisor front edge,

which is over and above the securement afforded by the are pressed outtherefrom. In a first operation, the visor section 12 is assembled bybringing the ends 16h, 16a of its head-encircling arms together so thatsaid arms now form a head-encircling band. Thereupon, the partial crownsection is folded on its longitudinal line of fold 32 and assembled tosaid visor section by first engaging its spurs 48a, 48b with the bottomedge of .the notch 22 provided in the front-edge central portion of thevisor peak 14, then'projecting its locking tabs 46a, 46b through theslits 20a, 20b of the visor sectiomand finally projecting the rear-endlocking projections44a, 4422 through the slits 18a, 18b of said visorsection, it being understood of course that the aforedescribed order ofassembly of locking tabs and/or spurs to the slits or edge notches of Ithe visor section 12 is not critical.

When assembled, there results an article of headwear as generallyillustrated in FIG. 2 characterized by a visor section proper whichfunctions as a sun shade and further simulating the head of a bird suchas an owl, although the heads of other birds such as the eagle,cardinal, blue- .jay, etc. may be simulated with equal facility.

From the above, it will be appreciated thatan article of headwear asdescribed and illustrated achievesthe objectives of the invention as setforth in the foregoing in simple yet effective, practical and thoroughlydependable However, as many changes could be made in carrying out theabove constructions Without departing from the scope of the invention,it is intended that all mata ter contained in the above descriptionshall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

I claim:

1. In an article of headwear, the combination of: an

' integral visor section including a frontal peak portion and rearwardlyextending side arms adapted to' be secured together adjacent their freerearward ends thereby with said peakportion to form a head-encirclingband; and a partial crown section extending across the frontal peakportion and between the forward end portions of the side arms of saidvisor section, said crown section having increasingly greater width infront-to-rear direction and greater overall width in its rear portionthan the normal spacing'between said side arms and being foldedalong afront-to-re'ar line, whereby, when assembled to said visor section withits bottom edge in engagement therewith, said crown section extendsupwardly-rearwardly from the peak portion of said visor section, andcooperative means on the bottom edges of the forward and rearwardportions of the crown section and on the frontal peak portion and theside arms, respectively, of the visor section'for securing the crownsection to the visor section at points of the latter which are solocated that the rearwardend portions of said crown section are spreadapart a substantially greater distance than are itsforward endportions,said forward end portions terminating in ends which extend forwardly anddownwardly over'the forward edge of the visor peak portion; saidsections being configured, marked and colored in simulation of the headof a particular bird.

2. An article of headwear according to claim'l, wherein means areprovided for securing said forwardly and downwardly extending ends tosaid forward edge of the visor peak portion, said means comprising anotch in said edge defined by a bottom and spaced side-wall edges, andspur-like formations on the lower edges of said forward end portionsadjacent their forwardly and downwardly extending ends, said formationshooking over the bottom edge of the notch adjacent the corners betweenthe bottom and side-wall edges which define'said notch.

3. An article of headwear according to claim 1,'wherein said forwardends of the crown-section are shaped substantially as adownwardly'turned hook thereby to simu' late the curved beak of a bird.Q

4., An article of headwear according to claim 1,.wherein saidcrown-section-to-visor section securing means ineludes rearward lockingtabs on the bottom edge of the crown sectionwhichprojectthroughtransversely spaced slits in said frontal portion of the sidearms and forward locking tabs similarly on bottom edge of the crownsection which project through transversely spaced'slits in the peakportion which are less widely. spaced than said first-named 'slits andwherein said forward end portions of the crownsection are secured to theforward edge of the visor-section peak portion in such a way as to,cause said forward end-portions to converge towards one another.

References Cited by the Examiner JORDANFRANKLIN, Primary Examiner,

THOMAS HICKEY, Examiner;

1. IN AN ARTICLE OF HEADWEAR, THE COMBINATION OF: AN INTEGRAL VISORSECTION INCLUDING A FRONTAL PEAK PORTION AND REARWARDLY EXTENDING SIDEARMS ADAPTED TO BE SECURED TOGETHER ADJACENT THEIR FREE REARWARD ENDSTHEREBY WITH SAID PEAK PORTION TO FORM A HEAD-ENCIRCLING BAND; AND APARTIAL CROWN SECTION EXTENDING ACROSS THE FRONTAL PEAK PORTION ANDBETWEEN THE FORWARD END PORTIONS OF THE SIDE ARMS OF SAID VISOR SECTION,SAID CROWN SECTION HAVING INCREASINGLY GREATER WIDTH IN FRONT-TO-REARDIRECTION AND GREATER OVERALL WIDTH IN ITS REAR PORTION THAN THE NORMALSPACING BETWEEN SAID SIDE ARMS AND BEING FOLDED ALONG A FRONT-TO-REARLINE, WHEREBY, WHEN ASSEMBLED TO SAID VISOR SECTION WITH ITS BOTTOM EDGEIN ENGAGEMENT THEREWITH, SAID CROWN SECTION EXTENDS UPWARDLY-REARWARDLYFROM THE PEAK PORTION OF SAID VISOR SECTION, AND COOPERATIVE MEANS ONTHE BOTTOM EDGES OF THE FORWARD AND REARWARD PORTIONS OF THE CROWNSECTION AND ON THE FRONTAL PEAK PORTION AND THE SIDE ARMS, RESPECTIVELY,OF THE VISOR SECTION FOR SECURING THE CROWN SECTION TO THE VISOR SECTIONAT POINTS OF THE LATTER WHICH ARE SO LOCATED THAT THE REARWARD ENDPORTIONS OF SAID CROWN SECTION ARE SPREAD APART A SUBSTANTIALLY GREATERDISTANCE THAN ARE ITS FORWARD END PORTIONS, SAID FORWARD END PORTIONSTERMINATING IN ENDS WHICH EXTEND FORWARDLY AND DOWNWARDLY OVER THEFORWARD EDGE OF THE VISOR PEAK PORTION; SAID SECTIONS BEING CONFIGURED,MARKED AND COLORED IN SIMULATION OF THE HEAD OF A PARTICULAR BIRD.